Tour de France: Rolland takes another classy win for Europcar

On the most decisive day of the Tour de France so far, Pierre Rolland (Europcar) took his second career win in the Tour de France. It followed last year's success on another epic mountain stage, with today's triumph at La Toussuire coming a year after the Frenchman's victory on Alpe d’Huez. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) was second, and a strong Chris Froome (Sky Procycling) was third.

Rolland made it a point of being in the breakaway on stage eleven, a short stage in distance but with four categorized climbs, culminating with the summit finish. He got away early in the stage, being paced to the initial break by team-mate Christophe Kern.

Kern would prove his value throughout the day, driving the large breakaway so it would get enough time on the peloton before it shredded on the final climb. When La Toussuire kicked up with 18km to go, Rolland was in a group of four with Vasil Kiryienka (Movistar), Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo Bank), and Robert Kiserlovski (Astana), three and a half minutes in front of the yellow jersey group. After several accelerations drew out Kiserlovski but were neutralized by the tempo-riding Kiryienka, Rolland went away for good under the 10-kilometre banner.

Rolland was oblivious to the fireworks on the road behind, but the yellow jersey competition was shaking out on the final climb. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) rode valiantly, putting in two major attacks, at one point joining up with Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) and Pinot, who were both up the road.

However despite those surges, yellow jersey holder Bradley Wiggins (Sky Procycling) would consolidate his lead by the end of the day. He used Froome to neutralize every move by Nibali and Van den Broeck, and after attacking earlier, Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) was dropped unceremoniously with five kilometers to race. The Australian defending champion would eventually lose 2’23” to Rolland, but more importantly, he was 1’26” behind Wiggins across the line.

The yellow jersey group crossed 57 seconds behind Rolland, who moves into the top ten overall. Wiggins has 2’05” in hand ahead of Froome, who is now second and looked the stronger of the two today. Nibali is third at 2’23”, while Evans’ rough day drops him to fourth overall, 3’19” back.

“It was a great day. We expected a big show, and we got it,” Rolland stated at the finish. “I was not sure if I would try to go clear on the climb of the Madeleine or wait until a little later. We spoke with Christophe Kern, and he helped to get me to the lead group, then [he worked on] the ascents of the Croix de Fer and Mollard. I told him he was going too fast, but he kept saying, ‘Shut up and trust me, you'll have them!'

“This stage, it's been in my dreams for six months. This is the queen stage for me, because it is the most difficult, and because it's in the Alps. And the Alps, they are my home. This victory is very different from last year - as soon as I found myself in the break, I had to take my responsibilities as the others [in the break] looked at me. Last year, I could play on the element of surprise. Both stages are similar on paper, but how to win them was entirely different and so my two wins at the Tour have a different flavour.”

A punchy start to the day that everyone gets to see

With French television cameras rolling from the drop of the flag, riders got a later start to the 148km day with four categorized climbs. Marcus Burghardt (BMC Racing) and Robert Gesink (Rabobank) were off right away, sparking a series of moves that would form a 25-man break. This first attempt was a failure, with approximately five men allowed to continue on as the road ramped up beginning the Col de la Madeleine. Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) rode a quick tempo to force a selection, and ultimately the group that would be the primary and winning escape of the day. Team Sky kept calm on the front even as Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) moved up the road.

Then Amaël Moinard (BMC Racing), Marco Marzano (Lampre-ISD), Laurens Ten Dam (Rabobank), and Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) came across to swell the group to 26.

The large leading group had 1’40” over the peloton, and Europcar sent Malacarne and Kern forward in support of Rolland. The first of a number of abandons came through – Vacansoleil-DCM lost three riders, and Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) would also call it quits.

The final two men to join the escape, Gorka Izaguirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Maxime Bouet (AG2R-La Mondiale) would not be there long, as the summit of the Madeleine approached and the pace picked up at the front for the mountain points available. Kessiakoff was looking to get back into the polka dot jersey, and eventually would, though Velits got the best of him in the sprint for the top.

With 80km to go and the gap between the groups at three minutes, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) moved out of the peloton on the descent with lead out man Daniel Oss, though Oss and his team eventually convinced the young green jersey holder that there was no advantage to be gained.

Ahead, the acceleration by Velits and Kessiakoff had pulled seven men clear of the break, though the majority of it was back together at the base of the second climb, the Col de la Croix de Fer.

Evans burns his first match on the Croix de Fer

At the front of the breakaway, Kern set to work putting a who’s-who of cycling to the sword. His pace dropped Scarponi and then Vinokourov, followed by Leipheimer and Basso. The once-massive breakaway was down to 12 with 65 kilometres to the finish, and the gap to the yellow jersey was out to four minutes. As Sorensen and Kadri became two more victims up front, Tejay Van Garderen (BMC Racing) accelerated away from the peloton. The move proved to be a setup for the BMC captain as Evans then darted away in a move that went unmarked. Leipheimer gave the Aussie a brief assist before he attached to Van Garderen, putting thirty seconds into Wiggins.

Moinard had dropped back and took his turn in front of Van Garderen, and as Sky cranked it up to keep the BMC squadron in check, riders began cracking in the peloton. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis), Jérôme Coppel (Saur-Sojasun), and Andreas Kloden (Radioshack-Nissan) were among the victims, soon followed by Nicolas Roche (AG2R-La Mondiale) and Haimar Zubeldia (Radioshack-Nissan).

The quickly shrinking yellow jersey group was infused with four Sky riders, with just Nibali, Van den Broeck, Pinot, and Janez Brajkovic (Astana) able to hang on behind Wiggins. Ahead, Evans was losing the wheel of Van Garderen, perhaps in the red and deciding that easing off would be best.

Up front, Kern had shed more men before he finally peeled off, with Martin the last to pop, leaving just six moving toward the summit of the Croix de Fer. Rolland and Kessiakoff battled this time for the maximum points, with Horner, Kiserlovski, Ten Dam, and Kiryienka the only remaining riders with them, though Martin would soon catch back up.

Evans was back in the yellow jersey group, which crested the summit just two minutes behind the breakaway group, which saw Chris Anker Sorensen rejoin. After a quick descent, the category-two Col du Mollard kicked up. Velits put in a searing attack on the lower slopes and Horner had to drop back with a mechanical. Off the descent, the yellow jersey group had slowed noticeably, and fifteen riders would eventually make contact again.

The Velits attack had fractured the breakaway for good. Sorensen, Rolland, and Kiserlovski eventually chased down the Slovak, then Rolland pushed on, with no sign of Kessiakoff, Martin, or Ten Dam. On the Mollard, Velits had gone too deep and was soon dropped as well. Sorensen, Rolland, Kiserlovski and Kiryienka, who had ridden solid tempo to catch up, formed the leading quartet that would go half way up the final climb before splintering.

Rolland delights the home country; Wiggins and Froome flex their muscle

With 30km remaining, Rolland and Sorensen both had to chase back in to their group – Sorensen had been dropped on the Mollard and Rolland went down at a hairpin on the descent. But both remained composed and the quartet started the La Toussuire climb together. Kiserlovski and Rolland tried a series of unsuccessful attempts to get away from the Movistar rider, before Rolland finally found a pace that would do it, as the Frenchman set off on the final ten kilometres on his own.

With the gap down to 2’45”, Brajkovic made the first move out of the peloton. Then it was Pinot and Van den Broeck, who would eventually join up with the Slovenian up the road. Having saved all his cards for the final climb, Nibali exploded away for the first time. Porte succumbed soon after, leaving Froome and Wiggins as the remaining representatives of the British team. Riders who had rejoined, including Roche and Coppel, were dispatched again as Froome dug a blistering pace. Nibali eased off the gas and dropped back next to Wiggins, giving him a long, probing look, gauging the Brit’s level of comfort.

Only five remained in the yellow jersey group again, when Nibali went a second time. The Italian quickly joined the trio of Van den Broeck, Pinot and Brajkovic, with the pressure of Nibali’s second attack enough to drop Froome temporarily. But the impressive Brit had soon rejoined and resumed pace-making. With seven kilometers to the top, Wiggins’ deficit to the Nibali group was just 20 seconds, with Rolland a further two minutes up the road, headed toward the stage win.

With five kilometres left, Evans could hang on no longer. Van Garderen was still present and appeared strong, but the young American did not leave the side of his captain.

Froome and Wiggins kept the pressure up, reeling in Nibali and his attacking group. Almost immediately, in a puzzling move, Froome put in a searing acceleration. The move caught out Wiggins – Nibali and Pinot were able to cover but the Brit was not – but word came to Froome through his radio, and he quickly let off the gas.

Ahead, Kiryienka was cracking and Rolland was assured the win. The yellow jersey group first swept up the Belarusian, and then Sorensen as well. Rolland celebrated his second big mountain stage win, with the Wiggins group coming in a minute later. Wiggins congratulated Nibali over the line and the Italian returned the gesture. Nibali had thrown a barb at Wiggins in the press the day before, but all now seemed cordial between the Tour’s two primary protagonists.